There are prior art data bearing cards, e.g., credit cards, having integrated circuits for storing binary data. Other available cards include magnetic strips for storing data. Some prior art cards, referred to as combination cards, contain integrated circuits and magnetic strips. Readers have been developed for all three of these cards. A reader for a combination card, described in European patent application No. 0,134,110, contains an integrated circuit reading station having first contacts that engage second contacts on the card. The first contacts move perpendicular to the direction of travel of the card after the card is in place at the reading station. The perpendicular movement prevents this type of reader from self-cleaning the contacts of the read head and/or the card. It would be advantageous if self-cleaning could be provided when the first and second contacts engage each other at the time signals are coupled between the integrated circuit on the cards and a data processing unit that determines whether the card is valid and if a transaction is to be authorized.